Children and young people on the Surf Coast have shown their appreciation for our region's first responders ahead of Thank a First Responder Day on Wednesday 11 June.
Local police visited kindergarten classes at the Council-run Kurrambee Myaring Community Centre in Torquay.
Officers were presented with handmade 'thank you' posters by the kindergarten children, in recognition of their efforts to keep the community safe.
Separately, Council's Youth Development team staged a free baking workshop for high school students presented by Felicity's Kitchen, with baked goods donated to local emergency service organisations.
Having learned new baking skills, participants handed packages of fresh baked treats to representatives from Torquay CFA, Torquay SES and Victoria Police as a thanks for their tireless efforts.
Thank a First Responder Day, led by Fortem Australia, is a call out to all Australians to show their gratitude to the first responders in the community for the work they do to keep us safer.
Councillor Liz Pattison said Council was happy to link its scheduled programs with opportunities for young people to better understand the role of first responders and show their appreciation.
"The Youth team had heard from young people that they were keen to learn some baking skills, so including a baking session into the youth programming and then donating the baked goods to first responders was a great way to bring these together and for young people to show their appreciation," Cr Pattison said.
"Likewise it's important for our kinder kids to learn about the role of the police, and it's a perfect time to say 'thank-you' as well.
"Thank a First Responder Day is a great opportunity to show our collective appreciation for the work of our emergency service organisations, who so many of us have relied on at some point in our lives."
